Democrats’ Reckless Tax & Spending Spree to Include New Natural Gas Tax and Higher Electricity Costs

U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding Democrats’ reckless tax and spending spree:

“Washington Democrats are behind closed doors trying to hammer out a multi-trillion-dollar reckless taxing and spending spree. But we already know a lot about their bill.

“First and foremost, we know their reckless legislation would hurt American families and help China.

“It’s that simple. Inflicting pain on American workers and families while putting us at a global disadvantage.

“Just look at the radical climate policies Democrats have packed into the spree to satisfy their far-left base. The apples haven’t fallen far from the awful Green New Deal.

“In the name of ‘clean energy performance,’ Democrats want to force electric utilities to model their grids off of the high-cost, blackout-prone system that liberals have set up in the state of California. Move all 50 states’ electric grids toward California’s.

“As one group of major power providers observed, not only would this be logistically unworkable, it would also threaten to send consumers’ electricity costs out of control. And in the words of a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission who testified before our colleagues just last week, the scheme would be a, quote, ‘H-bomb’ for the electricity markets.

“At the same time, Democrats are also pushing a brand-new natural gas tax that they call a ‘methane fee.’ It’s a natural gas tax.

“Just as our friends in Europe are facing soaring natural gas costs and the threat of winter shortages… just as it seems Russia may be willfully supplying less and less gas to the free world… Democrats want our nation to declare war on natural gas. Kill tens of thousands of jobs, drain billions from the economy, and increase costs for families.

“At a moment when U.S. natural gas futures just hit a 12-year high.

“There is no limit to the harm Democrats will inflict on America to force the heartland to accept elite liberal fashions. Their legislation includes special giveaways for electric cars that are disproportionately the preferred option of wealthy people.

“Jacking up Americans’ gas bills and utility prices in order to turn 49 other states into California. It’s a bad idea at an awful time. And just one more way their reckless taxing and spending spree would hurt families and help China."